Atlanta just conducted a gun buyback event spending over $40,000 in a few hours. I suspect these events involve such a small number of guns that they have no real impact on the overall crime rate in a given community, but never seen any real data either way. It looks to me like it’s simply folks cleaning out the closet and turning in Granny’s old single shot shotgun or Papa’s rusty old kit gun.

Anyway, I was just curious if anyone had ever seen and real data related to the specific types of guns that are turned in?

Also, on a side note a local gun enthusiast set up a few blocks away and offered a little competition often paying more for potentially collectable firearms.

__________________
A major source of objection to a free economy is precisely that it ... gives people what they want instead of what a particular group thinks they ought to want. Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself.
- Milton Friedman

I do not have any scientific data to back this up, but I have attended the last several buy backs the Cleveland Police held. I was there to purchase anything that caught my eye. I had no intention of reselling them, but I did end up selling a couple off over the last couple years after discovering I did not care for them.

There were some trends I noticed in what was being turned in. First, for the Cleveland ones, $$ was not given for long guns so you did not see many in line. Also, the CPD function checked each gun as in order to get $$ they had to be operational so no one was really bringing parts or obviously broken guns. That said, here are the trends I noticed and my observations after watching the lines:

1. 95% were at least 20 years old.
2. 80-85% were only worth the $100 the CPD was giving, or less.
3. Some brands were represented more than others, namely: Jennings, Raven, Phoenix, basically a bunch of low cost, "Saturday Night Specials" chambered in 22.
4. 90% of the "brand name" guns that were in line, were in bad shape. Functional, yes, but rust all over the place and/or generally neglected.
5. There were a decent amount of older revolvers in the line (S&W and Colt especially), but most were in pretty bad shape.

In summary, there ARE guns being brought to these things that most of us would like to buy, and great deals can be had, but they are certainly the exception to the rule in my experience.

We were required to be off the actual property the buyback was being conducted on, so maybe I missed some, but for the most part I found this to be true at all three I attended.

I was at the Atl. GBB from 9-4 last Thursday. We were the concerned citizens buying guns to prevent them from being destroyed at the GBB. Ironic that Dr. Martin L. King was denied a firearms permit in Alabama when he needed it the most. Even more concerning that not one of the many GBB in his honor supporters were aware of this.

Dr. King encouraged non-violence but did not discourage self-defense. This is completely ignored by those who would disarm the public for their own safety.

The GBB was supported by a battalion of LEO (foot, car, motorcycle), 3 mobile operations centers, air support-overhead chopper, SWAT with an armored personnel carrier (APC), full auto machine guns and deployed snipers all to provide command, control and security to buy mostly crap guns from mostly an honest older crowd.

It seems most media displays & events are just for PR(public relations) or for some slickster to scam a untrained table with a airsoft replica or a Daisy BB rifle. Both types I've seen lauded as "dangerous weapons that can kill cops on the street".

Some PDs & sheriffs used to require the weapons be in good working order/function with live ammunition but now, in 2014, you can walk up with a super-soaker or a starter gun & get a $50-100.00 gift card.

I have to wonder if these buybacks are paid for by tax dollars (the gift cards and police presence) or from private donors and the cops are just there as a part-time side-gig paid for by same donors.

As long as it's not paid for with tax dollars I can't say I have a huge problem with "buybacks" (I DO have a problem with the name). The vast majority of the guns turned in seem to be old rusty guns someone found in grandpa's attic that they have no desire or intention to keep. Most are in such bad shape that an FFL or private buyer won't bother buying them even if the seller wanted to go through the hassle of selling them and making sure it was done legally.

Frankly if the owners don't know how and have no desire to own and handle the guns safely, then they're better off just getting rid of them, because it would just do them more harm than good.
So if some church or community organization wants to give people an easy way to get rid of a gun they don't want and make a few bucks in the process, then sure. The private buyers that tend to hang out outside these shows generally take care of any guns that deserve a fate better than the smelter.

I had a conversation one time with a sheriffs officer from an urban county about buy backs. He stated that a group of religious leaders were pressuring to organize such an event. They refused to hold it at one of the churches or halls, refused to pay any cops for security, refused to assist with volunteers, refused to put up any money or gifts towards the exchange and in short just expected the county to run the entire affair. They seemed only interested in getting credit for the idea. It never took place. They later complained that the sheriff was callous and irresponsible to the issues of the community.
These are feel good inventions that don't address any real crime issues.

They promote and embrace the philosophy that more guns=more crime and consistently ignore any positive benefit that an honest armed society offer.

They attempt to mislead the public through ignorance and bias. They condition the public as well, for turning in their firearms and that is a worrisome precedent.

What good came from the two NAACP sponsored Gun Buy Backs?

At least for the two conducted at Atlanta and College Park Georgia it put private money into the pockets of mostly an elderly crowd. Georgia citizens still retaining their rights were allowed to conduct "private" firearms transfers and saved guns destined to be destroyed.

Some continue to fed into the "No questions asked" mentality and worry that if they bought a gun there it would be stolen. It's a valid point and perception the GBB promoters, promote.

It's not illegal to freely buy a gun from another citizen (in a free state) unless the purchaser knows it is stolen. The numbers (0.3-1.8%) don't support the perception that these are stolen guns nor does the majority of the type of crowd reflect that. The FBI data reflects that most "crime guns" are stolen or straw sales which a background check will "NEVER" halt.

The commenters that some of the stolen guns were not reported or the citizen failed to record the serial numbers is valid but there is a tracking system in place and obtaining those serial numbers is not too difficult. Even if the gun was stolen but never reported as such, would we honestly want a fine firearm destroyed because of that or preserved?

I didn't see it but someone picked up a $70 Colt Diamondback. Here is this $50
Beretta (limited edition) that was saved from destruction. If one is honestly concerned have LEO run the numbers. Of the serial numbers of the guns that I know that were run, all came back clean but then I would expect that based on fact rather than fiction. Many just wanted the gun out of the home. You know, you are so much more at risk (the 43 times lie) at being hurt by your own gun than saved by it.

A $100 bolt action 30-30.

A $75 .44 magnum Winchester model 94 with a Redfield scope.

The $75 Taurus with clean numbers.

The $100 for the pair S&W and Colt revolvers.

Most of the people turning in guns were totally ignorant of what they had: "I have a .22" and it's a .410, "my father passed and it was in the closet, I don't know what it is, it's a gun". If I had a dollar for every person asked what they had and were completely lost, except "it's a gun" I could have picked up a butt load of ammo. The prices reflect that ignorance.

So what good came out of the Atlanta gun buy back? Not what the City, NAACP and religious leaders would have a naïve public believe. I can assure you that.

__________________
“Blessed are those who, in the face of death, think only about the front sight.” LTC-RET, Jeff Cooper (RIP)

"The GBB was supported by a battalion of LEO (foot, car, motorcycle), 3 mobile operations centers, air support-overhead chopper, SWAT with an armored personnel carrier (APC), full auto machine guns and deployed snipers all to provide command, control and security..."

Absolute waste of manpower and taxpayer money. Makes me wonder if the public was aware of this outrageous use of resources?

I thought all the guns that were bought were destroyed, but after a buy back several years ago, I was offered a Winchester 74 and a Browning A5, $100 for the pair, by the same dept that held the buy back.
I went through a ffl dealer and got a letter saying the sale was legal.
When ask about the transaction I was told that some hunting rifles and shotguns were sold to certian individuals and the money was used for training classes on gun safety.
I later donated the guns to the same department I got them from because I just didn't feel good about it.

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